Checking emails, making calls, surfing the web, and now even playing video games are all possible thanks to a new collaboration with Sony and Android to introduce the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

The first of its kind, the XPeria Play runs on the latest Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system, the fastest one yet.

The new smart phone/gaming device, sports the usual features as any other smart phone does with its own unique touch. It includes a 4inch 854×480 pixel touch screen LCD display, a 5.0 mega pixel dual camera and of course its one of a kind Playstation styled controller that slides out from below rather then the usual QWERTY keyboard. It comes in a choice of virbatn black or white base colors.

The face of the phone contains the bright and shiny LCD screen. Above it is a frontal camera which can be used for video calls and below is Androids four-button, multi-option quartette. With an easy, flawless slide-upwards, revealing a fully equipped game pad. It contains the usual directional pad on the left and action pad on the right. Sony also threw in a pair of touch sensitive analog pads to replace the traditional analog sticks usually featured on a Playstationcontroller.

Each pad also includes two handy little dots that guides your thumbs from going off focus and excludes the need to look down. Below the gaming buttons is an Android menu button that leads to Android options and also the Start and Select buttons that gives options during game play. On the shoulders lay two buttons that would take place for the L1 and R1 buttons on a traditional controller. Cleverly nuzzled in between is the up and down volume buttons. The back is home to the camera with an LED flash.

Under the hood of this new device, are the SIM and MicroSD card slots which are accessible without the annoying task of removing the battery each time. But the best part lies with the set of stereo speakers that put the general run of the mill smart phone speakers to shame. It is appropriately incorporated into the phone given the amount of entertainment attributed to a four- inch device.

The brains of the operation stem from the1GHz Scorpion processor and an Adreno 205 GPU.

Although it doesn’t include a dual processor as the latest gadgets do, it still holds up without freezing, even after an intense round of gaming.

The Play includes a 512 MB of RAM, of that, 400 is available just for applications. It also comes with an 8GB microSD card, which can easily be upgraded to a 32GB for your convenience.

The battery life is not too shabby but can be a tad bit better considering the entertainment aspects. The battery can run up to 22 to 24 hours on basic usage such as checking email, text messaging, or social networking. It can also go a good five and a half hours of continuous game play before it is ready for its next charge up.

Now, on to the fun stuff. The Play comes preloaded with several Playstation games including Crash Bandicoot, The Sims and Star Battalion HD. Accessing these games along with the Playstation Pocket market place is only a slide away. The games instantly become available once the phone is slid into game mode. The customary Android Marketplace is also available for phone apps.

The release date for Xperia Play is still in the works, but the anticipation is rising high; it is already available in the UK, but its U.S release date is still rumored to be later this month.

So get ready for a handful of fun, literally. With just one simple reach into your pocket or bag, making phone calls, text messaging, web browsing, and video game playing will be readily available at the touch of a button or slide of your hands.